From the prior art, DE 32 43 778 A1, a suction air cylinder having a control head for the suppression of noise is known. Through a large number of holes arranged in the jacket of the suction cylinder, a material is aspirated which drops off from the jacket after an atmospheric pressure equalization effected by a control head. In order to suppress the noise upon the abrupt pressure equalization, the suction cylinder is divided into several chambers. In this device, the detaching of the material from the jacket of the suction cylinder takes place merely by atmospheric pressure equalization.
DE 1 19 48 75 discloses a device for feeding properly-positioned paper sheets to a machine for the processing of blanks. The suction member, formed as a suction drum, comprises a chamber which is permanently under the action of suction and a second suction chamber which can be subjected to suction action in controlled manner. The action of the suction air takes place at an end side of the suction drum. The jacket, which is perforated by the individual holes, rotates together with the drum; an action of blast air on the jacket of the drum is not provided.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,870 shows a cutting device for the continuous cutting and removal of thin strips of a printed web. The strip which has been cut off by a pair of knives cooperating with a bottom knife is aspirated by vacuum and passes into a central hole of the cutting cylinder from which it is subsequently removed.
This device has the disadvantage that it requires a large volume of suction in order to convey the strips into the inside of the cylinder. Furthermore, this device is subject to limitations with respect to the circumferential speed since the centrifugal forces which are produced upon high circumferential speeds and which act on the strip must be additionally compensated for by the vacuum present in the duct. For high speeds the conveyance paths into the inside of the cutting cylinder therefore are too long.